The present invention relates generally to trolling motors and, more particularly, to an apparatus for mounting a trolling motor to a watercraft and for moving and locking the trolling motor in a variety of tilt angle positions between a horizontal stowed position on-board the vessel and a generally vertical operating position in the water.
Watercraft, especially fishing vessels, often employ trolling motors to maneuver or to hold the watercraft in position while the vessel operator fishes. Trolling motors may be interconnected with the watercraft via a mounting bracket secured to the gunnels or transom of the vessel. Conventional mounting brackets are generally adapted with a pivot pin which allows the portion of the bracket adapted to receive the trolling motor to swivel between the stowed position, where the trolling motor is on-board the vessel, and the deployed operation position, where the trolling motor extends into the water.
Although many conventional mounting brackets effectively stow and deploy trolling motors, many require the operator to actuate a lever or other such actuating mechanism to disengage a locking pin (which secures the portion of the bracket adapted to receive the trolling motor in a tilt position relative to the remainder of the bracket assembly) before swiveling the trolling motor to a different tilt position such as the stowed position. Similarly, many conventional mounting brackets require the operator to continue actuating the mechanism to disengage the locking pin for the entire duration of the swiveling of the trolling motor. Requiring the operator to actuate the mechanism to disengage the locking pin before tilting (and during the tilting of) the trolling motor may be inconvenient or undesirable in many situations, including situations where quick upward tilting or stowage of the trolling motor would be expedient. One such situation would occur, for example, when the watercraft enters shallow water where the motor shaft or drive unit of the trolling motor may contact underwater obstructions. In such a situation, it would be convenient and expedient for the operator to quickly tilt and/or stow the trolling motor.